High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said UNHCR had lost two of its staff members in the crash. There were also seven representatives of the World Food Programme and six staff members from the U.N. office in Nairobi.

Authorities confirmed that the plane was carrying passengers from more than 30 countries.

Ethiopian Airlines told journalists they included 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, nine Ethiopians, eight Italians, eight Chinese citizens, eight Americans, seven British citizens, seven French citizens, six Egyptians, five Dutch citizens, four Indians, four people from Slovakia, three Austrians, three Swedes, three Russians, two Moroccans, two Spaniards, two Poles and two Israelis.

The cause of the disaster is not yet clear. However, the pilot had reported difficulties and had asked to return to Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Airlines said.

In the meantime, China and Indonesia grounded their fleets of Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 aircraft on Monday. The disaster came five months after a Lion Air jet of the same model came down in Indonesia, killing 189 people, and prompted a global aviation safety scare.